Memory Inception through Gaze-Contingent Message Exposure: Using Virtual Reality to Study Media Influence

Abstract

The messages we encounter in our environment can shape our knowledge about the world. However, much research on mediadriven influence via messages focuses on population-level effects and aggregate exposure statistics, obscuring how individual and self-determined behaviors affect message intake, processing, and effects. To address this gap, we use virtual reality (VR) to create a controlled messaging environment. Participants navigate a simulated urban street lined with billboard messages while their visual attention is tracked via eye-tracking. We introduce an inception-style manipulation: overlooked billboards are strategically reintroduced, creating additional exposure opportunities. Our results demonstrate that this subtle manipulation - unnoticed by participants - boosts message retention. This study bridges communication theory and psychology, elucidating the blurred line between voluntary and involuntary information intake in the digital age. It also highlights a potential vulnerability in the future metaverse media ecosystem, where undetected information manipulations can influence individual and collective attention and memories.